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Where is the Top Village of 2006?

The search for the CALOR Village of the Year^® 2006 will begin in Cambridgeshire next month.

Representatives from villages thinking of entering the competition are being invited to an informal session at Over Community Centre on February 7th at 6.15pm. They will be able to find out what entry involves, hear from participants in previous years’ competitions, question the judges and stewards about what happens during the course of the competition and find out what awards are at stake. Cash prizes are on offer to the winning communities in the competition, including £500 prize money for the winner of the Building Community Life category, which has been made available thanks to continued competition support from Defra (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) at both county and national level.

The county winner will also be invited to represent Cambridgeshire and Peterborough in the national Calor Village of the Year^® for England competition, which has a prize fund this year in excess of £36,000.

Dullingham, which won the Cambridgeshire competition last year, went on to win the DEFRA Building Community Life category in the East England region of the national competition.

“Entering the competition has increased confidence in ourselves as a community and we thoroughly enjoyed the experience of entering the national competition - we got a lot out of it,” said Anthea Davidson, Dullingham Parish Plan group.

To book places at the launch evening or for more information, contact Julie Weekes, Cambridgeshire ACRE, telephone 01353 860850, email julie.weekes@cambsacre.org.uk

Further press information from: Emma Flinn, Amaze plc
tel: 01223 845781 (direct) / 0161 817 4200 (main office)
email: e.flinn@amaze.com

Notes for Editors:

Calor Cambridgeshire Village of the Year

1 The Calor Village of the Year^® competition can act as a catalyst for strengthening rural communities. Simply taking part can bring people together, including some of those who may not previously have been motivated to get involved.

Entering the competition gives communities a rare opportunity to review their activities and to celebrate shared successes.

2 The main competition looks at a number of key categories covering aspects of village life in the 21st century - Building Community Life; Business; Young People; Older People; Environment; Information Communications Technology.

An optional Special Project Award is also given. Villages can enter this category without entering the main competition.

3 The competition is organised in Cambridgeshire by Cllr Hazel Williams, who is Deputy Chair of Cambridgeshire ACRE. Judges will include representatives from the Cambridgeshire ACRE board of trustees, and CPRE

Calor Village of the Year^®

Calor, the leading supplier of LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) to those living and working in the countryside, has supported rural activities in England, Scotland and Wales for 20 years through its Rural Sponsorship programme, which includes the Calor Village of the Year^® for England and Wales competitions and the Calor Scottish Community of the Year competition.

The Calor Village of the Year^® for England competition, now in its tenth year, was founded and developed by Calor, and is organised and funded by the company on an annual basis.

Please note that Calor Village of the Year^® is a registered trademark and should be referred to in full in all circumstances.

Entry to the Calor Village of the Year^® for England competition is through the existing county competition network.

Following competition support in 2005, Defra (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) is once again providing Calor with additional funding in 2006 to enhance the community life element of the competition through the Building Community Life category. Defra’s special aim is to encourage the inclusion of all groups and individuals into the fabric of rural community life - building cohesive and mutually supportive communities. Defra’s involvement means that every village in England has the opportunity to enter the 2006 Calor Village of the Year^® for England competition.

The national Calor Village of the Year^® judges look for well-balanced, pro-active, caring communities which, irrespective of size, have made the best of local opportunities to maintain and enhance the quality of life for all residents.

The prize money for the national Calor Village of the Year^® for England competition alone stands at over £36,000. First prize is £6,000 with £1,500 going to each of five regional winners. In addition, there are five category prizes of £500 within each region (covering Business, Environment, Care for Older People, Care for Young People and Information Communications Technology), and a prize of £750 for the winner of the Building Community Life category in each of the five regions. The five regional winners of the Information Communication Technology category are judged to find an overall winner, the award for which is £1,000. There is also, thanks to the Defra support, a prize of £2,000 for an overall Building Community Life winner, which is selected from the five regional winners.

For general information on the Calor Village of the Year^® for England and Wales competitions:

email: info@calorvillageoftheyear.org, tel: 01962 629768, or visit: www.calorvillageoftheyear.org

For more information on the Calor Scottish Community of the Year competition

visit: www.communityoftheyear.co.uk

For more information on Defra:

visit: www.defra.gov.uk or for information specific to rural affairs visit: www.defra.gov.uk/rural/default.htm